


this house was a home

by cptsuke



Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M, post canon au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 09:33:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20079997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cptsuke/pseuds/cptsuke
Summary: a what if2 part, different POV for each(that will never happen because i need my hea)





	1. Chapter 1

He's tired when he opens the door into their house, but then he's always exhausted these days. Neither of them can sleep the whole night through any more.

He wants his boyfriends arms around him, for as long as he can have them. The thought fills him with dread even as he tells himself he has to be realistic, that the sooner he accepts what's going to happen the sooner they can deal with it. Learn to live with it.

The first sign that something wrong is the car out front, but the house feeling empty.

At first he thinks maybe he's sleeping, but no, the bed looks as rumpled and empty as they left it this morning. He quickly searches the house, tells himself he's just being dramatic. There's no reason to panic, he could be down by the beach, they've both been trying to find comfort in the ocean lately, even if the sight bittersweet, because how's it supposed to be every the same again?

The front door opens and the briefest moment of elation crashes as Pope walks in.

Pope wearing the sort of face that made any sane person want to leave the room. (the city, the state, the country)

It's not even an angry face. Just so intense he has no idea how Pope hasn't cracked all his teeth from the clench of his jaw.

It takes several swallows to find words in the face of Pope staring him down like that.

“Where is he?”

Pope doesn't say anything, just looks down at the wooden floors that were always too cold in winter but he'd hoped to find out what they'd be like in summer.

Pope looks away and he hasn't had enough time, he needs more time, no amount of time would ever be enough.

“Pope,” His voice breaks.

This feels worse. He didn't think this could feel worse.

Pope's still staring at the floor when he finally speaks, voice sounding wrecked.

“He took a deal.” 

“I don't understand.” He can't breathe. He wants to scream, wants to grab Pope by the neck, choke him til he says he's lying. “Where is he?”

“Deran's not coming back, Adrian.” 

He closes in, maybe he is going to wrap his hands around Pope's neck. Pope put his hands on his shoulders, bloods roaring in his ears, he can hardly hear Pope's words.

He can feel his head shaking slowly in denial. _No._ He wouldn't. He can't. _He can't._

“He only asked for one thing,” Pope finally looks him in the eye. “You.”

Adrian's had this hanging over his head for so long, carrying the fear and dread, and now, he collapses to his knees unable to hold his own weight, now it's gone it doesn't feel like a reprieve at all.


	2. Popes POV

Pope doesn't know what to expect when Deran asked him to pick him up, to take him to Smurf's house.

He's hesitant to leave the place once Pope comes, keeps looking around like he's forgotten something. Or He's worried he'll forget something.

Once he's in the car Deran doesn't say anything as they wind their way to the house, just stares out at the ocean intently.

He's quiet as he walks around the house, Pope likes to think he keeps it as clean as Smurf ever had, but Deran walks around it, fingers trailing over every surface like a rent inspector.

“You wanna tell me what's going on?

Deran takes one last long look at the pool outside and takes a deep breath.

“In a couple of minutes the police are going to knock on the door.”

“Deran what did you do?”

“It's just me, they're not here for you or Craig, they've got nothing on you. This is done, Pope.” There's nothing of the child Deran's played at being for the last twenty years in his tone, he's calm, serious, one hundred per cent in. “I need you to accept this.”

Deran's eyes are red rimmed but he looks calmer than he has for the last couple of months, like no matter the outcome, just the end of it all in sight, a decision finally made, has finally brought a peace on his mind.

_Jesus Christ_. Pope can't do this.

He remembers when they got Deran back from Billy. He'd been gone for less than a day all up, but Smurf had cradled him like she'd actually have pad the full million dollars for him and Pope had suddenly realized how fragile this all was.

If one thing had gone wrong, one wrong move and Deran's blue eyes wouldn't have ever looked up at him again.

He can't protect Deran from this.

He doesn't make any promises that he'll be fine, that they'll get him out of this – he does think wildly of prisons breaks, and more realistically of lawyers and getting someone to take the fall for all that Deran's confessed to. But he doesn't say anything that he's thinking out loud. He won't give hope til he knows he can deliver.

He doesn't know what he looks like but Deran's hand shoots out, gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

“It's okay, Pope, it's okay. You know I was gonna fuck this up eventually. At least-” His voice wobbles and Pope holds himself very still. He can't kidnap Deran, can't kill everyone between him and happiness. “At least this means something. _I'm_ doing something.”

“Besides,” Deran shrugs, gives Pope a smile that's only a little crooked. “I'm leaving Craig to you, your turn to keep his ass out of the fire.”

“Oh, you're leaving me with the hard job.” Pope laughs humorlessly, feels a stab of pride as Deran grins back at him, even as his eyes start to gleam.

“Look after them for me, okay?”

Deran and he have never been particularly touchy-feely, Smurf had left the both of them feeling like touch was a transaction, like it was something that they'd have to pay for later.

Every stride Deran has made; every milestone with Adrian, every arm wrapped around the back of his chair, ever gentle touch, every close moment that he didn't shy away from fills Pope with a weird almost jealous pride.

Mostly it just makes him a soft sort of pleased. Maybe they're not all completely ruined.

Pope never really learned to feel comfortable with touch. But he remembers Baz, his hands holding Pope's head. He tries it with Deran, pulls his head close and pushed his chin into that blonde hair.

He can feel Deran's hand clenching in his shirt, his breathing getting deeper as he tried to keep it even.

_Fuck_.

His hands tighten and he knows it must hurt but Deran just curls further into him.

“You're such a fucking asshole. You keep your head down. Don't start anything.”

His advice is shit, no one gets into trouble in prison on purpose but it always came no matter what.

There's a knock on the door, and it echoes through the empty house

“Why here?”

Deran looks around and Pope realizes with sick fascination that he's memorizing the place, like he's never going to see it again.

The knock sounds again and Deran takes a deep breath and pulls away. Turns towards the door then pauses. His head turns slightly so Pope can see a sliver of his eye through his hair.

“I didn't want this to happen at home.”


End file.
